Know the return. Know the risk. Know the tax.
Every section is clickable. Learn how the product works, who owes you the money, how liquid it is, what can go wrong and how Indian tax can change the real return.
Every fixed-income section is clickable
Each guide contains basic information, risk, liquidity, taxation and a simple ₹6L / ₹12L / ₹50L tax illustration.
Bank Fixed Deposits
Lock money with a bank for a chosen tenure and receive a contracted interest rate.
Corporate Fixed Deposits
A company accepts a fixed-term deposit and promises interest plus repayment at maturity.
Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs)
Company debt securities with coupon, maturity and credit terms defined in the issue document.
Corporate Bonds
Tradable debt issued by companies to borrow from investors for a defined maturity.
Government Securities (G-Secs)
Central or State Government debt securities with coupon and maturity, available to retail investors.
Treasury Bills
91-, 182- and 364-day Government of India zero-coupon securities issued at a discount.
RBI Floating Rate Savings Bonds
Seven-year, non-tradeable Government of India savings bonds with a coupon reset every six months.
Tax-Free Bonds
Legacy notified bonds whose qualifying coupon interest is exempt; most retail access is through the secondary market.
Post Office & Small Savings
Government-backed savings products such as PPF, NSC, SCSS, Time Deposit, MIS, RD and KVP.
Tax works differently for different fixed-income returns
No repeated “one slab chart fits all”. Open any instrument above to see a ₹6 lakh, ₹12 lakh and ₹50 lakh income-person example using that instrument’s own return type.
Bank FD, Corporate FD, taxable bond coupons, G-Sec coupons and FRSB interest are generally added to normal taxable income and taxed at applicable slab rates.
Interest on a qualifying notified tax-free bond is exempt. “Tax-free” normally applies to the coupon, not automatically to a profit when you sell the bond.
Bonds and securities can create capital gains. Listed-bond LTCG is generally 12.5% without indexation after the current long-term holding period; unlisted bonds/debentures can have special short-term treatment.
Tax treatment is mixed. PPF/Sukanya are generally exempt on qualifying interest/maturity, while TD/MIS/SCSS and several other schemes can have taxable interest.
Tax words — in plain English
You should not need tax jargon to understand an investment.
Start with the risk you are actually taking
“Fixed income” describes cash-flow structure—not guaranteed safety in every instrument.